Apparatus for concentrating solutions.



v PATENTED JULY 14, 1908. E. MONTI.

APPARATUS FOR O'ONC'ENTRATING SOLUTIONS.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 9. 1904.

s SHEETS-SHEET 1.

Q 31 wentoz dm g PATENTED JULY 14, 1908.

E. MONTI.

APPARATUS FOR GONCENTRATING. SOLUTIONS.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 9,1904.

3 SHEETSSHEET 2.

B. MONTI. APPARATUS FOR OONGBNTRA APPLICATION FILED SE1 TING SOLUTIONS.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

PATELWTTED JULY 14, 1908.

- tanks; Fig, 4 is a -tus diagrammatically;

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EUDO MONTI, OF TURI N ITALYH APPARATUS non concnn'rna'rme somnnon's.

Specification of Letters Patent." Application filed September 9, 1904. Serial No. 223,919.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Eono. MQNTI, a subect of the King of Italy, and resident of urin, Italy, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in A paratus for Concentratin Solutions, of wl flch the following is a spec' cation. g

The invention relates to apparatuses for concentrating solutions and more particularly to an apparatus for carrying out the rocess described in'my patent #761,387

ated Ma 31 1904 in whlch'the solutions, (any kin of animal, vegetable extracts or minerals solutions such as sugar-beet, meat cofiee, tea etc.) are frozen and the soluble matters are dis laced from the ice.

An object o the present invention is to provide a suitable apparatus of the type above described by which the said process out with the least possible power and of labor, rendery cheaper than concentraating machines are not at. hand, but ice orsnow and fuel are'plentiful.

Other and further objects will a pear in the following description and will e more particularly pointe out in the appended claims, reference being had to. rawings forming a part hereof, in which Figure 1 is a view of one embodiment of my invention showing a section on the line 1-1, Fig. 2 and the remainder of the appara- Fig. 2 is a horizontal section on the line 2-2, Fig. 1'; Fig.3 is a vertical section through one of the freezing diagrammatic view of another embodiment of my invention; Fi 5 is a horizontal section through one of the reezing tanks of this embodiment, and Fig. 6 is a vertical section of the said tank.

In carrying out the process in anordinary ice orrefrigerating mold or tank found in any ice, factory, as described in my patent above referred to, I have ascertained that the frozen solution cannot be removed from the molds without melting some of'the ice crystals. Also it is impossible to disintegrate the frozen material without exposing it and the interposed solution to the action of the air. I avoid such disadvantages and save COIlSlderable labor by displacing the concentrated.

material from the frozen material while itis lar series of freezin .he (1 in place by1 means of either .to t

- 14 connected to piping 13 embodiment shown in Figs. 1 to 3, an annu-v or refrigerating tanks 1*, 1*, 1, 1 ,'1 andl is mounted on a frame 2 and suitably insulated from one another. These tanks (preferably taper from their hottoms upwar l and ave their up er ends closed by covers 3 and their lower ends closed by removable bottoms 4. Each bottom is of cylindrical form and fits within the lower end of a tank. Its upper end is covered by a convex and erforated grate 5, While its lower end is provi ed with an outwardl extending flange 6 which carries an annu ar packing rin 7 adapted to enter an annular groove 8' 'in t e bottom of the frame surrounding a refri erating or freezing tank. The bottom is bolts 9 which extend through '0 e frame 2 and have removable nuts 10 at their lower ends. Within the cylindrical part of the bottom is a drain pipe 40 flared a its-upper end and carrying a cook 41 anda pipe 42 which leads to a thermome- "ter 43. to provide an apparatus The solution tobe concentrated is con tained in a receptacle 11 and is fed by means 12 through piping 13 and 13 e lower chamber 14 or to coolin coil 16 of cooling tanks which are disposed above the freezing tanks and are connected therewith by means of piping 15. Each coolingtank consists of a lower compartment and a cooling coil positioned within an upper refrigerant receptacle 17, leading at its lower end into t e lower compartment and havin its upper end connected to piping 13 whic is branched from piping 13 and controlled by valve 13.

The refrigerant, such as brine or acidiferousv solution (sulfuric acid at 42 B) previously cooled as much as possible, is contained within a supply receptacle 20 which delivers through pipe 30 into an ice receptacle 2 1 centrally positioned on the frame 2 within the annular series of freezing tanks, and in an elevated position. This ice receptacle is perforated at 22 at itslower end, and is positioned centrally within a refri erant cooling receptacle 23. Located wit in the receptacle 23 near its upper end isa float 24 which is surrounded by a perforated protecting casing 25 and is connected by a rod 26, through pivoted of a pum lever 27 and rod'28, with a valve 29 auto- Patented July 14, 1908.

rected through delivered through flexible pipes 31 leading therefrom above the freezing tanks, to the vertical pipes 32 each positioned within a refrigerant compartment 33 surrounding a freezing tank. Each vertical pipe is provided with a funnel 34 at its upper end and has its lower end positioned above the bottom of the refri erant compartment 33. As the refrigerant leaves the lower end of the vertical pipe it travels upwardly in a spiral direction, around the freezing tank, due to the arrangement of a screw 35 within the refrigerant compartment 33. Also positioned in each refrigerant compartment is an overflow i e 36, the upper end of which is positioned be 0w the top of said compartment, while its lower end is connected by means of piping 37 with the adjacent refrigerant compartment. Within the iping 37 is positioned a valve38 by which t e overflow material may be diwaste pipe 39 instead of to the adj acent refrigerant compartment.

The'operation is as follows: The freezing tanks 1", 1 etc.,'are about three quarters filled from the receptacle 11 with the material to be concentrated, by means of pump 12 which delivers the same into a lower compartment 14 of the cooling tanks, from which it is delivered into tanks 1*, 1 etc. The refrigerant passes from supply receptacle 20 to its cooling receptacle 23 and through the means of float 24 said receptacle is always maintained full. From the coolin receptacle 23, the refrigerant is delivered into one of the vertical pipes 32 from which it passes upwardly in a spiral direction around the freezing tank until it reaches the up er end of overflow pipe 36, when it descends t rough the latter into the piping 37 into the lower part ofthe next refrigerant compartment and upwardly in a spiral direction through the same until it reaches the latters overflow pipe and so on until it has com letely interchanged its temperature with tiat of the solution in the several freezing tanks; after which the valve 38 of the last tank is turned to direct the refrigerant through a waste pipe 39.

When the solution within the first mold or tank has been cooled or frozen to the desired temperature, which may be ascertained through the thermometer 43, the valve of the flexible pipe 31 is closed, the one over the funneled upper end of the next vertical pipe 32 is opened and the first freezing tank is cut out of the circuit; and this is continued until the material in every freezing tank has'been frozen. While the freezing is going on the soluble condensed material is displaced from among the ice crystals of the tanks containi ng the frozen materials. This is accomplished by opening cook 41 and permitting the most condensed matters to drain off into a collecting receptacle 44 below. From this receptacle the material is conducted, if desired, to another freezing tank for reconcentration or to one of the storage receptacles 45. After the most condensed matter has been drained off, the upper part of the freezing tank is heated by a coil 47 in which warm water is circulated causing the melting of the ice and the displacement of gradually more and more dilute solutions which are conducted to the several storage receptacles 45 and are employed for displacing matter held within the ice crystals of future 0 erations. For this purpose storage receptac es 45 are connected by piping 46 with the pum 12 or a cylinder fullof compressed or liqne ed as and the gradually more and more dilute so utions are conducted through the coils 16 of the cooling tanks to reduce their temperature approximately to the freezin point of the ice within the freezing tan From the cooling tanks the cooled gradually more and more dilute solutions are conducted through piping 15 to the freezing tanks or molds,

em sprayed over the upper surface of the ice t erein by means of a s rayer 48 which preferably plays upon a clot 1 laid on the ice to insure the uniform distribution of the displacing fluid. The reconcentration is carried on in exactly the same way except that the concentrated solution must be cooled to a lower temperature.

The embodiment shown in Figs. 1 to I) is adapted for concentrating small quantities of solutions of considerable value and is much cheaper than an apparatus requiring a small ice or refrigerating machine, as the ice from previous concentrations may be used in the ice receptacle 21 and the cooling tanks. When sulfuric acid is employed as the refrigerant, the waste may be utilized as a fertilizer.

The embodiment illustrated in Figs. 4 to (i is adapted for use with an ice or refrigerating machine supplying a refrigerant (such as brine) in a continuous stream. The manner of supplying the solution to and removing it from the freezing tank is the same as shown in the first-described embodiment.

An insulated refrigerant chamber 50 divided into an upper and a lqwer compartment by a partition 51, contains a number of freezing tanks or molds 52 which are provided with removable bottoms similar to those of the other embodiment. The lower compartment of the refrigerant chamber 50 communicates with the up )er con'ipartments through ports 50 controlled by downwardly seating ball valves 50", and is provided with a waste cock 53, and an inlet pipe 54, both of which are at the lower part thereof. The upper compartment is provided with a pipe 55 at the lower part thereof and a waste pipe 56 near the top, the waste pipe being provided with a valve 57 to direct material either to pipe 58 or to pipe 58). The inlet. pipe 54 of the lower compartment is connec'ted to the pipe 55 of the upper compartdirect the refrigerant, such as brine, from the ipe 63, through both inlet pi es 54 and 55 into both com artments of t e refrigerant chamber 50. en the-crystallization of the materialyto be removed-fromthe solution, has taken place, and the most .conc'en- Y trated matter has been'drained off in the the combination with a tank, of means for I manner before stated, the. waste cock 53 is turned todischarge the refrigerant in the lower compartment and valves61 and 62 are turned to direct the refrigerant in the upper compartment to the'lower compartment. When the upper compartment is empty valve 61 is turned to connect inlet pipe 60 with warm water ipe 64 and a flow of warm water is established through the upper chamber and out through waste pi e 56, thereby heating the upper ends of t e freezing tanks and causing the upper part of the crystallizedmass to be melted and to displace 'the concentrated matter in the lower part ofl the crystallized mass. The operation is then carried on as set forth with relation to the other embodiment.

I claim as new therein and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: 1. In an apparatus of the classdescribed,

roducing a freezing action throughout the en th of'the tank, means for 'dra-iningthe a removable bottom for, the tank, a

tan

cooliiig coil,.- aseries of storage vessels having connection with the cooling coil, a pump for forcing materialfrom the storage tank to the cooling coil, and connection. between the a frame supporting extending flange at t tom, a acking supported on the flange and coolinIg means and the freezin tank.

an apparatus of the c ass described, the combination with-a tank, of means for producing a freezing action in the tank, and a removable bottom for the tank comprising a drain pi e 'flaredat its upper end, a grate over the' ared upper end, and a cock in the drain ipe.

3. 11 an apparatus ofthe class described, the combination with. the freezin tank, of a the same an having a groove surrounding the lower end of the tank, abottom removably fitted within the tank, a grate at'its'u per end, an outwardly e lower end of the botadapte to enter the groove in the frame, and

tion between the freezing tank, a spiral Having thusdescribed my lnvention what refrigerant com artments,

'-the overflow pipe, and a disc a drain'pipe having a cock, carried by the bottom.

41, In an'apparatus of the class described, the combinationof the freezing tank, means for cooling the tank, means for draining the tank, means for heating the upper portion of the freezin tank without heating the bottom thereo a series of storage vessels,having connection with the draining means, a cooling coil, communication between the storage tank and the cooling coil and communication; between the cooling coil and the freezing tank. a p v 5. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination of the freezing tank, means for cooling the same, means for draining the tank, a series of storage vessels having connection with the draining means, a cooling coil, communication between the cooling coiland the stora e vessels, and communicaeezing tank and the C001. in'g coil.

6. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination of the freezing tank, means for cooling the same, means for draining the tank, a series of storage vessels having connection with the'draining means, a coolin coil, communication between the cooling coi and the storage vessel, communication between the freezing tank and the cooling coil, and means for heating the freezing'tank'.

7. In an apparatus of the class escribed, the combinat on with the refrigerant compartment, .of the freezing tank positioned within the same, means for draining the or screw surrounding the freezing tank and causing the refrigerant to take a s iral course, and means for deliveringla re igerant to the lower end of the s 1ra 8. In, an apparatusofthe class described, the combination with the annular series of refrigerant com artments, of the freezing tanks positione in the same, a vertical pipe positioned in each refrigerant com artment, aving a funnel at its upper on and discharging into the compartment at itslower end, an'overflow pipe positioned in each of said compartments, an connection between the'lower end of'the adjacent compartment and the overflow pipe.

9. In an apparatusofthe class described, the" combination with the annular series of of the freezing tanks positione in the same, a vertical pipe positioned in each refrigerant com artment,

aving-a funnel at its upper on and discharging into the compartment at its lower end, an overflow pipe positioned in each of said compartments, connection between the lower en of the adj acent-compartment and 'arge in said connections. a 10. In an apparatus of the class described,

the combination wlth the annular series of refrigerant compartments, of the freezing tank, of a series of storage vessels or com- 15 tanks positioned in thesame, a vertical pipe artments, having connection with said positioned in each refrigerant com artment, eezing tank, a cooling tank, connection beaving a funnel at Its upper en and distween the cooling tank and the freezing 5 charging into the compartment at its lower tank, and means for forcin material from end, an overflow pipe positioned in each of the storage vessel to the coo mg tank. 20 said com artments, connection between the The foregoin s ecification si ned at Tulower en of the adjacent compartment and rin, Piedmont, tel this 20th day of-Octothe overflow pipe, a discharge in said conber, 1905.' 10 nections and a s iral or screw within each compartment an surrounding the freezing .EUDO MONTI' tank therein, causing the refrigerant to In presence of two Witnessestravel u wardly in a spiral direction. GOTTARDO C. PIRoNr,

11. Tlie combination with the freezing O. ZIACTZETTI. 

